Top Ten Frequently Challenged Books of 2013

The ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom collects reports on book challenges from librarians, teachers, concerned individuals, and press reports. On April 15, OIF released the top ten most frequently challenged books list of 2013 as part of the State of America's Libraries Report.  

The number one most frequently challenged book of 2013 was Dav Pilkey’s Captain Underpants series, which ranked #1 for the second year in a row. The series also placed in the Top Ten in 2002, 2004, and 2005. 

Top Ten Frequently Challenged Books of 2013 
(out of 307 challenges as reported by ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom)

1)      Captain Underpants (series), by Dav Pilkey
Reasons: Offensive language, unsuited for age group, violence

2)      The Bluest Eye, by Toni Morrison
Reasons: Offensive language, sexually explicit, unsuited to age group, violence

3)      The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, by Sherman Alexie (2008 Campus Read selection)
Reasons: Drugs/alcohol/smoking, offensive language, racism, sexually explicit, unsuited to age group 

4)      Fifty Shades of Grey, by E.L. James
Reasons: Nudity, offensive language, religious viewpoint, sexually explicit, unsuited to age group

5)      The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins (2012 Campus Read selection)
Reasons: Religious viewpoint, unsuited to age group 

6)      A Bad Boy Can Be Good for A Girl, by Tanya Lee Stone
Reasons: Drugs/alcohol/smoking, nudity, offensive language, sexually explicit

7)      Looking for Alaska, by John Green
Reasons: Drugs/alcohol/smoking, sexually explicit, unsuited to age group

8)      The Perks of Being a Wallflower, by Stephen Chbosky
Reasons: drugs/alcohol/smoking, homosexuality, sexually explicit, unsuited to age group

9)      Bless Me Ultima, by Rudolfo Anaya
Reasons: Occult/Satanism, offensive language, religious viewpoint, sexually explicit

10)  Bone (series), by Jeff Smith
Reasons: Political viewpoint, racism, violence

War-themed 'Hunger Games' Poses a Difficult Choice for Parents

Columbia, MO (July 18, 2012) -- "Brenda Gray is as complimentary as can be when talking about “The Hunger Games,” the book she tried to have removed from her daughter's school. In fact, she's a big fan of it ..."

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Unfit to Read?

The Hunger Games was challenged by parents at Jackson (Missouri) Middle School in 2009. "The novel, which contains violent scenes and themes, was ultimately removed from required reading lists at the school, though it remains on the library's shelves."

THE MISSOURIAN
July 20, 2012


"Sunshine requests for public records of book challenges were sent to all 566 Missouri school districts asking for all correspondence regarding book challenges since Jan. 1, 2008. Responses to the requests came in from 495 of the school districts. There were 51 titles challenged in 32 school districts, including one in Columbia. Many of the challenges had less to do with the overall content of a book but more to do with whether it was appropriate for certain age groups. Others argued that the books they were challenging were inconsistent with community values or that they contained language and references to behavior that conflicted with school conduct rules."

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Challenged!

Author Suzanne Collins' name has shown up on ALA's Most Frequently Challenged Authors of the 21st Century lists in 2010 and 2011. Evidently, The Hunger Games trilogy, first published in 2008, has struck a nerve.

Why have the books been challenged? 

• In New Hampshire, a parent asked the Goffstown School Board to remove the book from her daughter's class, claiming that it gave her 11-year-old nightmares and could numb other students to the effects of violence.  The parent made the request without having read the book herself.  The challenge was ultimately unsuccessful.  
• In 2011, The Hunger Games trilogy was #3 on the list of Top Ten Challenged Books by Year.  The reasons given were: anti-ethnic; anti-family; insensitivity; offensive language; occult/satanic; and violence.
• In 2010, The Hunger Games was #5 on the list of Top Ten Challenged Books by Year for these reasons: sexually explicit, unsuited to age group, and violence.

What do you think? Will we see more challenges in 2012?